4 ethical pillars

In both my personal and professional lives I believe that honesty is the best policy. Secrets and lies only lead to more secrets and lies and an inevitable downward spiral and the breakdown of relationships.

I have always had a strong moral compass when it comes to my work – an instinctive awareness of what is right and what is wrong. As an Independent Practitioner my clients need to be confident that I am dealing with and for them honestly and fairly, and this needs to be explicit rather than implicit. This page therefore lays out the four ethical pillars on which my professional work is based:

Integrity – honesty in everything I say and do

Respect – treat others as I wish to be treated myself

Transparency – open disclosure om my dealings with and for clients

Courage – speak up if I believe something is wrong

My promise #1: on the rare occasion that anything goes awry, I promise to always give you, my client, the heads-up, as soon as I am aware of the situation. There will be no white-wash or cover-up.

My promise #2: If you, my client, ask me to do anything which contravenes the Code of Conduct laid down by the two professional bodies I belong to (read the Codes of (Professional) Conduct for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and Chartered Institute of Marketing), I promise to decline to do what you ask. I will respect you by being transparent and explaining why this is so.
NB: Specifically, I will never lie about or on behalf of a client – so don’t ask me to … refusal may offend.

Ethics, integrity, and respect work both ways. If I feel there is a breach on the client’s side, I will speak up and work to redress the issue. At the point a contract is signed with a new client, a copy of the CIPR and/or CIM Code of Conduct will be provided. Mutual understanding of this ethical position, including my four ethical pillars above, is the best way I have found to ensure a positive outcome in terms of maintaining mutual respect and the continuation of our relationship.